System freezes and poor response times in your computer can mean a lot of things. If your computer is running slower than usual, it may be infected with a virus or you may have some defective hardware. Most of the time, however, your computers slow speed is a result of too many open programs and applications.
Low performance systems with budget parts hate multitasking. But there is a way to deal with slow PC speeds without replacing pricey components like the CPU and graphics card. If you want to speed up your computer the easy and cost-effective way, simply add more RAM modules or upgrade your old ones!
RAM or Random Access Memory is the data cache where your computer temporarily stores the files necessary to keep open programs running. The computer can access data stored in the RAM at very fast speeds, almost instantaneously. With a large RAM, the computer can store more files and manage more applications simultaneously.
If your computer runs out of RAM, it will utilize a portion of the hard disk drive to store data. This is where speed problems arise. Under this set up, memory blocks are swapped between the hard drive and RAM. Unlike in RAM, the computer unfortunately does not have high-speed access to data stored in the hard drive.
If you are running 620MB of programs with only 512MB of RAM, your computer will be frantically moving data back and forth between the hard drive and RAM. Although your computer is working twice as hard, it will seem sluggish and unresponsive due to the hard drives poor data transfer rates. Long-term swapping will eventually overtax your computer and cause system crashes.
To enjoy faster response times with your computer, increase the size of your RAM or upgrade it. For the average computer user, 1GB of RAM is good enough. For those who love to switch among multiple windows, at least 2GB of RAM may be needed to avoid hang ups and downtimes.
